In certain applications, it is advantageous for tread rubber compounds to exhibit improved abrasion resistance. Yet, it is desirable to improve abrasion resistance without significantly impacting other useful properties of the tread rubber compound, such as cure, functionality of the matrix polymer, and the elastic modulus of the compound.
It is also generally advantageous to reduce the amount of process oil utilized in a tread rubber formulation without negatively impacting useful properties of the tread rubber compound, such as processability.